<p>Foreign affairs is a tricky subject for most prime ministers when they speak extempore. For, they would not have dealt with this ministry before taking up the prime ministership. As for the PMs since the 1990s, P V Narasimha Rao and I K Gujral got into the top position after they had a stint as foreign minister. Gujral himself was seen as a foreign affairs hand.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/manmohan-singh">Manmohan Singh</a> was a trained economist – the first such to take over as PM. So, there was some speculation as to how he would handle foreign policy issues as the head of the government.</p>.<p>No doubt there would be a battery of officials from the Ministry of External Affairs to assist him. But then Singh, who was appointed to every conceivable finance-related senior position in the Union government, handled foreign policy with elan during his 10 years as prime minister from 2004 to 2014. For `Dr Saheb’ as he was fondly called, perhaps it was almost like his innings as the finance minister from 1991 to 1996 during which time he deregulated the Indian economy thus becoming `father of liberalisation’.</p>.<p>Head of the government or the head of a state is required to travel abroad many times during his/her tenure. This may be to boost bilateral relations or to place the country’s stand on issues under discussion at multilateral summits.</p>.<p>As per answers given to Parliament, during his long innings as PM, Singh made 72 foreign trips, visiting 46 countries. I was part of several such visits like the USA, UK, Japan, China, Mauritius etc — some of these countries more than once — as a representative of Deccan Herald to cover those events. During the meetings there, Singh handled issues of global importance or those facing India, with impeccable clarity and offered solutions that made world leaders agree with him.</p>.<p>One such was the G20 summit in London in 2009. That was the time when the global recession began in the US and spread rapidly across the world in 2007-08, shook nearly every country. It was also one of the major topics discussed at the summit. Most of the solutions offered by Singh were reflected in the Joint Communique released at the end of the summit and later implemented by many countries.</p>.<p>I remember Singh addressing a press meet there that had journalists from different countries. He took every question and answered them convincingly. He stressed that India fared much better than other countries though it was also affected; he made suggestions relating to fiscal stimulus, restoring credit flows to developing countries, removing protections on trade, favoured institutions like the International Monetary Fund expanding resources to developing countries though India does not need them, etc. To a question by yours truly about his fears that recovery may not be possible if proper measures were not taken immediately, Singh replied that he was “more hopeful today (after the communique) than yesterday (when he made the speech)”.</p>.<p>During his foreign tours, on the flight back home, Singh, a man of impeccable integrity, intellect and humility, would address journalists. He would also, like his predecessor A B Vajpayee, informally chat with journalists before or after the formal press meet. While returning from a visit to the US after addressing the United Nations General Assembly, his staff threw a surprise as they got a reluctant Singh to cut the cake to celebrate his birthday.</p>.<p>Singh, who had once said his eyes had gone weak as he used to study under a lantern, addressed his last press conference on January 3, 2014, in New Delhi. This also became the last press meet addressed by an Indian PM so far!</p>.<p>(B S Arun is a former Deputy Editor and Political Editor, Deccan Herald)</p>
<p>Foreign affairs is a tricky subject for most prime ministers when they speak extempore. For, they would not have dealt with this ministry before taking up the prime ministership. As for the PMs since the 1990s, P V Narasimha Rao and I K Gujral got into the top position after they had a stint as foreign minister. Gujral himself was seen as a foreign affairs hand.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/manmohan-singh">Manmohan Singh</a> was a trained economist – the first such to take over as PM. So, there was some speculation as to how he would handle foreign policy issues as the head of the government.</p>.<p>No doubt there would be a battery of officials from the Ministry of External Affairs to assist him. But then Singh, who was appointed to every conceivable finance-related senior position in the Union government, handled foreign policy with elan during his 10 years as prime minister from 2004 to 2014. For `Dr Saheb’ as he was fondly called, perhaps it was almost like his innings as the finance minister from 1991 to 1996 during which time he deregulated the Indian economy thus becoming `father of liberalisation’.</p>.<p>Head of the government or the head of a state is required to travel abroad many times during his/her tenure. This may be to boost bilateral relations or to place the country’s stand on issues under discussion at multilateral summits.</p>.<p>As per answers given to Parliament, during his long innings as PM, Singh made 72 foreign trips, visiting 46 countries. I was part of several such visits like the USA, UK, Japan, China, Mauritius etc — some of these countries more than once — as a representative of Deccan Herald to cover those events. During the meetings there, Singh handled issues of global importance or those facing India, with impeccable clarity and offered solutions that made world leaders agree with him.</p>.<p>One such was the G20 summit in London in 2009. That was the time when the global recession began in the US and spread rapidly across the world in 2007-08, shook nearly every country. It was also one of the major topics discussed at the summit. Most of the solutions offered by Singh were reflected in the Joint Communique released at the end of the summit and later implemented by many countries.</p>.<p>I remember Singh addressing a press meet there that had journalists from different countries. He took every question and answered them convincingly. He stressed that India fared much better than other countries though it was also affected; he made suggestions relating to fiscal stimulus, restoring credit flows to developing countries, removing protections on trade, favoured institutions like the International Monetary Fund expanding resources to developing countries though India does not need them, etc. To a question by yours truly about his fears that recovery may not be possible if proper measures were not taken immediately, Singh replied that he was “more hopeful today (after the communique) than yesterday (when he made the speech)”.</p>.<p>During his foreign tours, on the flight back home, Singh, a man of impeccable integrity, intellect and humility, would address journalists. He would also, like his predecessor A B Vajpayee, informally chat with journalists before or after the formal press meet. While returning from a visit to the US after addressing the United Nations General Assembly, his staff threw a surprise as they got a reluctant Singh to cut the cake to celebrate his birthday.</p>.<p>Singh, who had once said his eyes had gone weak as he used to study under a lantern, addressed his last press conference on January 3, 2014, in New Delhi. This also became the last press meet addressed by an Indian PM so far!</p>.<p>(B S Arun is a former Deputy Editor and Political Editor, Deccan Herald)</p>
